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RFA Fort Austin at West Float, Birkenhead, in July 2015
History
United Kingdom
Name	RFA Fort Austin
Operator	Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Ordered	November 1971
Builder	Scott Lithgow
Laid down	9 December 1975
Launched	9 March 1978
Commissioned	11 May 1979
Out of service	31 March 2021
Homeport	Marchwood Military Port, Southampton
Identification	IMO number: 7342938 MMSI number: 233261000 Callsign: GSEV Pennant number: A386
Fate	Sold to Egypt October 2021
General characteristics
Class and type	Fort Rosalie-class replenishment ship
Displacement	23,482 tonnes
Length	185.1 m (607 ft 3 in)
Beam	24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	Sulzer 8-cylinder RND90 22,300 shp
Speed	21 knots (38.9 km/h)
Complement	114 RFA 36 RNSTS (historically) 45 RN Air Squadron personnel
Armament	2 × Phalanx CIWS 2 × 20 mm GAM-BO1 4 × 7.62 mm GPMGs
Service record
Operations:	Falklands War Operation Palliser

RFA Fort Austin is a retired British Fort Rosalie-class dry stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Fort Austin was laid down at Scott Lithgow in 1975, launched in 1978 and commissioned in 1979. These ships were designed to carry a wide range of dry stores to support fleet task forces; ammunition, food, explosives. They have extensive aviation facilities, with two flight decks, one to the stern and one spot on top of the hangar, up to four Sea Kings can be stored in the large hangar. These ships also have the capability to replenish ships at sea, via six RAS points.

Operational history

Falklands War 1982

When the Falklands War began, the ship was deployed in the western Mediterranean for the annual Spring Train exercise, and received orders to head south, taking part in the landings at San Carlos Water as a stores and ammunition ship. When the order to head south was given, several warships had the WE.177A nuclear weapon deployed aboard. Amongst these were the Type 22 frigates HMS Broadsword and HMS Brilliant and the aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible. Some newspaper reports also named RFA Fort Austin. The Ministry of Defence explored various options to transfer these nuclear weapons from the frigates to the safety of the deep magazines aboard Fort Austin, Hermes and Invincible. An MoD publication describes a complex series of manoeuvres to avoid the presence of these nuclear warheads in areas that would break the UK obligation to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, often referred to as the Latin-America Nuclear Free Zone. In no circumstances could ships carrying nuclear weapons enter territorial waters around the Falkland Islands. After the conflict ended, weapons were transferred at sea to the two RFAs Fort Austin and Resource for transport back to the UK.

2000s

In 2000, the ship supported the British military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War.

Beginning in September 2007, the ship underwent a major refit and modernization at the A&P Tyne shipyard in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear.

In July 2009, RFA Fort Austin was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Portsmouth Naval Base. Following the Strategic Defence and Security Review of October 2010 it was decided to reactivate her at the expense of the larger RFA Fort George, which would be decommissioned.

2010s

On 27 May 2011 Fort Austin left Portsmouth under tow by the Belgian tug Union Wrestler and tug Svitzer Pembroke for a £40m refit at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. This refit was intended to keep her in service until 2021. Later that year it was announced that her service life would be extended until 2023; the Fort class will ultimately be replaced by the Fleet Solid Support element of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme.

She left Birkenhead on 5 September 2012, arriving three days later at DM Crombie in the Firth of Forth. She arrived back in Plymouth at the end of 2012 and spent early 2013 exercising in home waters.

Fort Austin formed part of the COUGAR 13 task group, providing stores, fuel, water, and ammunition Fort Austin is also participating in the 2014 IMCMEX.

In 2015, Fort Austin was again laid up, this time in Birkenhead. Despite concerns she would be decommissioned she entered Cammell Laird for refit in 2017 and it was confirmed her planned out of service date had been revised to 2024. During the course of the refit, on 15 August 2017, Fort Austin suffered a fire on the upper deck. Her 60 crew were evacuated. The damage was not considered to be serious.

2020s

In June 2020, Fort Austin was reported to be in extended readiness (reserve) with replenishment rigs not compatible with the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. The defence white paper of 2021 announced that Fort Austin, along with Fort Rosalie, was to be decommissioned, with successors from the Fleet Solid Support plan set to replace the ships.

On 31 March 2021, the ship was withdrawn from service, and placed up for sale (recycling) on 21 May 2021, however, the notice for recycling was then withdrawn and the ship was sold to Egypt together with her sister ship, Fort Rosalie. While awaiting refit, it was reported that Fort Austin would be renamed ENS Luxor.

Notes and references

1. "RFA Fort Austin sales summary". 21 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
2. "FOI(A) regarding the Royal Navy" (PDF). What do they know?. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
3. "Operation CORPORATE 1982" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2012.
4. "Daily Shipping Movements". QHM Portsmouth. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
5. "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers". UK Parliament. 10 June 2013.
6. "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers". UK Parliament. 11 June 2013.
7. "Royal Navy sails for annual 'Cougar' deployment". Royal Navy. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
8. "HMS Bulwark leads ten-ship task group on Gulf exercise". Royal Navy. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
9. "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers". UK Parliament. 3 March 2017.
10. "Royal Navy auxiliary ship Fort Austin fire, Birkenhead". Maritime Bulletin. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
11. "Royal Navy auxiliary ship Fort Austin fire, Birkenhead". Fleetmon. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
12. Thomas, Richard (2 June 2020). "RFA trio remain in extended readiness as reduced fleet continues to support RN deployments". Shephard Media. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
13. "The Defence Command Paper and the future of the Royal Navy". Navy Lookout. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
14. "RFA Fort Austin sales summary". Government of the United Kingdom. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
15. Allison, George (29 October 2021). "Britain sells naval vessels to Egypt". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
16. @NavyLookout (14 February 2022). "Ex-RFA Fort Austin and RFA Fort Rosalie await refurbishment package at @CammellLaird to be undertaken in next coupl…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links

• RFA Fort Austin - Royal Navy official website
• Timeline at www.historicalrfa.org

v t e British Naval Forces of the Falklands War
Royal Navy	Active Alacrity Ambuscade Andromeda Antelope Antrim Ardent Argonaut Arrow Avenger Brilliant Bristol Broadsword Cardiff Conqueror Cordella Courageous Coventry Dumbarton Castle Endurance Exeter Farnella Fearless Glamorgan Glasgow Hecla Herald Hermes Hydra Intrepid Invincible Junella Leeds Castle Minerva Northella Onyx Penelope Pict Plymouth Sheffield Spartan Splendid Valiant Yarmouth
Naval Auxiliary (RFA)	Appleleaf Brambleleaf Bayleaf Blue Rover Engadine Fort Austin Fort Grange Plumleaf Pearleaf Olna Olmeda Regent Resource Sir Bedivere Sir Galahad Sir Geraint Sir Lancelot Sir Percivale Sir Tristram Stromness Tidespring Tidepool
Ships Taken Up From Trade	Alvega Anco Charger Astronomer Atlantic Conveyor Atlantic Causeway Avelona Star Balder London Baltic Ferry British Avon British Dart British Enterprise III British Esk British Tamar British Test British Trent British Wye Canberra Contender Bezant Eburna Elk Europic Ferry Fort Toronto G.A.Walker Geesport Iris Irishman Laertes Lycaon Nordic Ferry Norland Queen Elizabeth 2 Rangatira Salvageman Saxonia Scottish Eagle St Edmund St Helena Stena Inspector Stena Seaspread Strathewe Tor Caledonia Uganda Wimpey Seahorse Yorkshireman
Civilian Auxiliary (RMAS)	Goosander Typhoon
- Sunk

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2017
Shipwrecks	14 Jan: Patna boat accident 28 Jan: Mengalum Island boat accident 4 Mar: Hero 1 Apr: Stellar Daisy 27 Apr: Liman 3 Jun: KD Rahmat 15 Jun Med Star 11 Aug: UC3 Nautilus 20 Sep: NOAAS Ferrel 4 Nov: Jupiter Nov (unknown date): ARA Comodoro Somellera 15 Nov: ARA San Juan (disappearance) 2 Dec: KRI Sibarau
Other incidents	1 Jan: Zahro Express 31 Jan: USS Antietam 12 Jun: USS Texas 16 Jun: Damia Desgagnés 17 Jun: ACX Crystal & USS Fitzgerald collision 21 Jun: Flevoborg 5 Aug: Empire Sandy 15 Aug: RFA Fort Austin 21 Aug: Alnic MC & USS John S. McCain collision 10 Oct: Nieuw Amsterdam 10 Dec: Pride of Kent
2016 2018

• 1978 ships
• Ships built on the River Clyde
• Fort Rosalie-class replenishment ships
• Cold War auxiliary ships of the United Kingdom
• Auxiliary ships of the United Kingdom
• Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom
• Maritime incidents in 2017